The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center (LMRFC) released the update below to document the low river stage conditions. The LMRFC provided the following text along with the attachment to supplement this update that details low water stage predictions from Cairo (IL) to Baton Rouge (LA).

“We have been dry on the Ohio River going into the Summer and the high flows from the Upper Midwest floods that have sustained the Lower Mississippi though June, July and into August are dropping out now back to seasonal levels. 

The Climate Prediction Center outlooks for the 8-14 day, one month and three month outlooks are calling for Normal to Below Normal conditions over the Ohio and Upper Mississippi. 

Our longer range outlook with 16-days of future forecast rainfall is also not picking up on any significant additional rainfall over the next two weeks that will slow recessions.

Our extended forecasts are starting to reflect low stages that could be impactful and wanted to start sharing our extended range forecasts with comparisons to the previous years of low flow for reference. 

We will send out an update later this week on Thursday. This time with the attachment.” (Emphasis supplied)

The Carrolton Gage (New Orleans) reading at 1000 hours today was 3.26 feet with a 24-hour change of – 0.10 feet.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service Extended Streamflow Prediction (28-Day) for the Carrollton Gage issued today forecasts stages will continue a slow fall to 2.4 feet on September 23 (2024).
Long-range forecasts only include precipitation expected to fall in the next 48-hours.